I'm a real newbie. This is my first saltwater tank and it is currently cycling. I emptied my crushed coral bags into my water and didn't rinse anything off . Now my tank is cloudy but after a couple of hours it clears up. Once I hit the crushed coral it gets all cloudy again. Do I need to empty my tank and start all over or is there another way to go about this? Is this normal? Thank you in advance.
I didn't rinse my crushed coral??? Help!!!!!
- Thread starter silverfox
- Start date
- Location
- Jersey City NJ
You should have rinsed the coral but since you didnt its ok you need to wait it out anyway most new tanks will start out cloudy at the beginning and I am talking about 5 - 10 days cloudy and some tanks even stay cloudy for weeks or until the cycling is done. Most people will tell u not to get fish yet but if you must get some fish that are stress free. Throw in some food like krill or silverside in there it will get the cycle going faster
O.K. The tank cleared up all the way within one day. I tried to move the crushed coral around this morning and now it's all cloudy again. It seems to be on my bio balls as well. I do also have some live rock in the tank is this going to kill it?
junglebase
Will always be a Newbie..
- Location
- Jersey City
R U using a filter or sump? you need to stir up the cr. coral, till ALL (most of) the dust can be REMOVED from the system! If you're just letting it settle, it will be cloudy, everytime it's stirred up. (even by fish, or powerheads)
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- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
lets start from the beginning.what knid of water r u using.tap,ro/di.also i wouldnt use crushed coral,JMO.i would get that out and use sand.crushed coral can trap food and ditrus and you will get high nitrates.also remove those bioballs especially if you are going to get into corals.dont think its a huge deal if its going to be fowler but someone else can chime in on that.bioballs also are nitrate factories.if you are going to use the crushed coral and have not used ro/di water get enough ro/di water to restart your tank mix the crushed coral around in your tank till its real cloudy and empty that water and add ro/di..
I would stirr up sections of crushed coral and scoop it out. Then rinse the tank out and start all over again.
You will never get rid of all that dust if you dont.
Then start with RODI water and never use tap.
+1 Dumping the bioballs, live rock is a much better substitute.
You will never get rid of all that dust if you dont.
Then start with RODI water and never use tap.
+1 Dumping the bioballs, live rock is a much better substitute.
- Location
- long island
what skimmer do you have. and what is the size of the tank are you going to put live rock in it.
I'm not sure what brand skimmer it is but it's good for up to 75 gallons. It's not even running yet i was waiting until I put my live stock in. I have a 72 gallon bowfront. Yes I do have live rock already in the tank. I'm trying to avoid the water change thing as much as possible but whatever I have to do I will.
Hi, welcome to the wonderful world of salt water hobbyist, and the MR family!
For starters you are going to find that you will get lots of different advice.
Confusing? Yes! Reason for that is that there are many ways to keep salt water aquariums. What works for one those not work for another, or vice versa!!
Ok, so you decided to use crush coral vs sand. True food can, and will get caught in it, but simple enough to remedy. You can use one of those aquarium vacuums
, or the python
to clean it. It is not the end of the world, just a lot more work.
You didn't rinse it before putting it in the tank, again not the end of the world. Yes you will continue to have dust clouds anytime you disturb it. Guess what, I have always rinsed sand or gravel prior to placing it in my tanks, and in time when ever they have been disturbed (to this day) will form the cloudy water. No big deal it clears up within a couple of hours. Another great tool to have is a Diatom Filter (mine died). They are great at polishing the water...
Second, you are using a wet/dry with Bio Balls. Again not the end of the world. Some have stated you should use live rock instead. Well, wether you place bio balls or live rock rubble in your sump/wet/dry you will have to periodically rinse them. Both can become nitrate factories if not well maintained.
Tap water vs RO/DI - I would definitely recommend the use of ro/di... Cleaner water to start with less nuisance algae in the end.
Most important of all: Someone suggested the use of hardy fish to help your cycle. DO NOT DO THIS!!!!! It is cruel to put the poor little guys through torture. There are better ways, for example you can use a raw shrimp or a piece of fish.
Be patient, wait out the cycle period, and you & your tank will be fine.
For starters you are going to find that you will get lots of different advice.
Confusing? Yes! Reason for that is that there are many ways to keep salt water aquariums. What works for one those not work for another, or vice versa!! Ok, so you decided to use crush coral vs sand. True food can, and will get caught in it, but simple enough to remedy. You can use one of those aquarium vacuums
, or the python to clean it. It is not the end of the world, just a lot more work. You didn't rinse it before putting it in the tank, again not the end of the world. Yes you will continue to have dust clouds anytime you disturb it. Guess what, I have always rinsed sand or gravel prior to placing it in my tanks, and in time when ever they have been disturbed (to this day) will form the cloudy water. No big deal it clears up within a couple of hours. Another great tool to have is a Diatom Filter (mine died). They are great at polishing the water...
Second, you are using a wet/dry with Bio Balls. Again not the end of the world. Some have stated you should use live rock instead. Well, wether you place bio balls or live rock rubble in your sump/wet/dry you will have to periodically rinse them. Both can become nitrate factories if not well maintained.
Tap water vs RO/DI - I would definitely recommend the use of ro/di... Cleaner water to start with less nuisance algae in the end.
Most important of all: Someone suggested the use of hardy fish to help your cycle. DO NOT DO THIS!!!!! It is cruel to put the poor little guys through torture. There are better ways, for example you can use a raw shrimp or a piece of fish.
Be patient, wait out the cycle period, and you & your tank will be fine.
Your welcomed silverfox! Just one more thing: I should have been a little clearer with the rinsing of the bio balls or live rock rubble. When you rinse these it must be done with tank water - NOT tap water, or you will kill all that nice nitrifying bacteria that is living within.
in a fish only tank a wet dry is ok when taken care of. i would still get the crushed coral out, and replace with sand. if not ,take out rinse well, and do large water change or it is going to get cloudy every time you touch it. and personally i prefer tap over rodi( i know, now you all now think im crazy) i have used tap for years and tried using ro for about 3 to 4 months and saw no difference. Long island/NY water is relatively low in nitrates and phosphates and i saw no purpose in purchasing ro water.
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